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We bought out Baby-Victorian 3 1/2 years ago. This clearly was during the pandemic and we have a mortgage well under 3%.

Pretty much it is suggested the price of our home has up at least 40% if not 50% or more.

This home was unloved and not turnkey. Last time it was updated it was a Home Cheapo special performed in 1975.

With all the updating we did the house likely is worth 55%-60% more than we paid for it. I figure it would be ideal for DINK’s or perhaps a professional couple with maybe one kid. Appointments are lux, and our house would sell fast to the right buyers.

Our next door neighbor’s house just got appraised for crazy big money. Their property is comprised of 4 building lots, but we have two building lots. The houses are the same size/square footage, but our second building lot is buildable, while theirs is not.

Getting our home turnkey for a quick sale approaches doubling our money. Because our house was not flipped over the decades, we are only the fourth owners so our house still has low taxes.

Lightning struck us many times. Pretty much perfect timing. We are among the owners of homes that are locked in. Pretty much can’t replace what we own in today’s market.

Cal
 
It seems Central Banks and governments are the one’s buying and bidding up the gold.

What does this hoarding mean? Possibly stagflation. Maybe persistent prolonged inflation.

Hard assets and real estate appreciation could mean either. Lowering interest rates supports gold prices and further appreciation at this point.

Saw another number that only 27% of mortgages are under 3%. Is this number correct? I’ll dig in because I thought this was much higher. Still a big number…

Cal
 
My last report was based from 3rd quarter of 2023 data from Redfin and also published at “The Hill.”

88.5% rates below 6%
78.7% rates below 5%
59.4% below 4%
22.6% below 3%

Pretty much now old data from last year.

Now a report from Goldman Sachs says:

72% below 4%
28% below 3%.

Wow only 28% of mortgages above 4%? That is kinda unbelievable if true. This would explain the very tight housing market I’m seeing.

Then there is the thinking of Barbara Corcoran… 6% interest rates with anticipated rate cuts could make housing prices jump 8-10%.

Did most Americans refi before rates increased? The Goldman Sachs numbers indicate that almost everybody did, asnd that happened about 3-4 years ago.

So which numbers to believe? Is Barbara Corcoran right?

To me the Goldman Sachs numbers are insane. Americans are not that smart to all refi, but then again the housing shortage is really tight.

Cal
 
Gold at $2303.30 presently.

I was going to kinda have a 24x24 inch square factory in my driveway. The idea was some real community building, but it takes about 40 minutes to assemble one of my kits. Pilot holes to avoid splitting is needed. These squares are visually pleasing and are built to last.

So not really practical to go with my original plan.

Food prices have increased 25% over the past 4 years. Reports of severe weather and global warming creating 4% yearly increases in food prices are a grim future with serious health consequences. The way I read it that these 4% increases are like how compounding interest works year over year.

The only solution is the sweat equity of growing your own food, or at least subsidizing yourself by growing what you can.

I find this factory like work rewarding. I can feel good about what I’m doing, and certainly it is creative and even worthy of being called art.

I also fed on impulse. It is still a great idea.

Not sure what to do but to continue… Just trying to move forward.

Cal
 
Gold closed t $2320.90. WOW.

The grand kids moving down to North Carolina is messy for us. They are close to our hearts and the distance will be difficult. It is a 10 hour drive to go visit.

The past 2 days the grandson and grand daughter have been with us, so we know and understand that these times will disappear. I accept that the parents need to make the change towards a slower pace. They currently are burning out, and this is not good.

New York is a tough place. “Maggie’s” heart is already broken. She had an emotional breakdown today. I helped the grand daughter do her Easter Vacation homework which is geometry.

I provide a lot of good cooking, and these kids eat good.

Hard to reconcile the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Pretty much Maggie and I are locked into our Baby-Victorian. Not bad living in the Hudson Valley, and our lives here are good if not great. The heart aches though, especially for the grandson who is 19 months old. He is growing fast and we don’t want to miss that.

We are situated where we want to be, but our hearts hurt.

Cal
 
More grand kid baby sitting, a 19 month old and a 9 year old.

I likely have enough materials to build out about 40-45 24x24 squares. Pretty much the benefit of using forty 24x24 inch squares verses ten 4x4 foot squares is that plants can spread out more and get more light. Also more modular.

So I’m thinking of scaling back on the community building and thinking of pretty much being a bit selfish. Make sure you have your oxigen mask first before helping others. I figure I can donate any surplus and feel good about doing some good. I can easily donate to the food pantry.

The equivalent of ten or more 4x4 equivalent squares is a lot of food, and certainly more than I can eat. I easily have the space on the “table” I built out in the back-backyard. I still have to deal with “woman factor.” Some of the produce I can freeze like snow peas and string beans.

Not sure if it is cost feasible to buy a freezer for the basement. If things get really bad I might have to start hunting. How crazy is that?

Cal
 
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Gold at $2310.40. Slightly down. There was another headline that suggests a $3K future for gold.

I figure gold is taking a bit of a rest or a breather before resuming its upward trend.

I believe persistent inflation and or stagflation is here, but only really beginning. The FED can’t control food prices, and in fact food and energy are exclude when calculating the CPI (Consumer Price Index).

Cal
 
Guitar and biking can consume a lot of time, but both are relaxing. Photography is work for me, much more serious. I guess the difference is that guitar and biking are hobbies, but photography for me migrates into art.

Maybe one day the guitar could migrate into being more serious and be considered art.

Lately I daydream of having the garage studio built out. Pretty much a private space where I can plug in or play my mucho loud acoustic guitars at volume. Not easy to do in a house when you live with someone.

Having my tube stereo set up can be a form of bliss just listening. This can be like an out of body experience. My HiFi is so good that live music can be recreated with an authenticity of feeling the performers in your space. This soundstage my stereo does very well. Also loud volumes are not required for full dynamics and clarity.

I have daydreams of revamping some of my guitars: neck swaps; and pickup exchanges. The purpose is to optimize for tone and versatility. I also have some very cool amps that hold esteemed voices and voicing to exploit. Pretty much a palate of sounds.

I can get both lost and found playing guitars or biking, especially when alone.

I find myself in a mythical place of unfounded beauty. There is a clear expression of freedom and being unbounded. Perhaps one has to be a Capricorn to understand the need to walk or wander alone and to only go to places others only dream about. How child like, but I remain a 66 year old man, still curious, still growing up.

“Maggie” is on some Google interview. So far it has been an hour. The grandson sleeps, and the 9 year old is doing a good job of being quiet.

It seems like retirement is just a long daydream…

Cal
 
Afternoon Devil Cal,

18x24 8x10 Norma 300 Symmar Norma Auto Iris by Nokton48, on Flickr

Sinar 18x24cm 8x10" Norma 300mm f5.6 chrome Schneider Symmar Sinar Norma Automatic Iris mount. 8x10" Norma Bag Bellows and Norma Monocular in the back. Sweet to look through. Norma Pan Tilt Head and Manfrotto tripod. A good Traveling Norma I used to use in the field. This is a super speedy camera to operate, no need to go back and forth when operating, all controls are fully seen and set from behind the camera. I've had to shoot fast and this does the job best IMO. This is a later version Norma as it does not have not have locking levers front or back. I guess they figured the camera was tight and smooth enough that it doesn't need locking levers. This one is as smooth operating as is possible.
 
Another red screen day. The DOW down over 500 points. Even gold is down, but still over $2.3K.

Now talk of only two rate cuts this year, another headline is none. Oh-boy…

Been exploring “Top-Loader” Tele bridges. I favor Callahan bridges, and I’m thinking of drilling some holes to mod them into top loaders for a more slinky feel and perhaps for a softer attack. I play a Tele kinda like acoustic guitar. My E and B strings at times are overly bright on some guitars.

Anyways I could top load or mount the strings through the body. Hmmm.

I have a drill press and a drill vise so pretty much EZ-PZ.

Know that the Callahan base plates are made of stainless steel and are CNC machined.

I use 12’s a heavy set of strings that are like acoustic guitar strings. The “G” string is wound. Because of the heavy gauge of strings my bending is limited to half and whole-steps. My tone is more “throaty.”

Also my sound is bigger. Big strings=big sound.

Cal
 
Devil Dan,

Shooting fast with a big rig and tripod is mucho crazy.

I understand. For me I like carrying several rigged cameras for grab and go.

Did you know that Diane Arbus carried three loaded Rollieflexes in a knapsack.

Also Richard Avedon had two assistants loading Rolliflexes to keep up with his shooting.

Doing fast shooting with large format is kinda insane. LOL.

Cal
 
Drilling stainless steel is tricky because it is so hard. Trick is to use a sharp bit and go slow. Another thing to do is to use a centering bit to start the hole because this prevents wandering.

Of course I have all the best tools. Grumman and National Lab surplus.

Modding my bridge bases as required saves me a lot of money. Basically zero cost. I really only need the extra slinky string feel on the high E and the B strings.

The different string pulls actually is said to alter the attack slightly making it a tiny bit softer. Kinda like a built in compressor. Only an issue for me because I kinda dig in. Understand that I play an electric guitar as if an acoustic guitar. If I played with a light touch, then pretty much there would be no notice of the attack, but if you hit the strings hard then the compression would get noticed.

My friend Dave practices on an acoustic because it helps him play faster on an electric because of lighter gauges of strings on his electrics. For me my acoustics and electrics are about the same gauge.

I’m not trying to play fast. What is more important is tone to me. Perhaps tone is more important to me because I’m of Cantonese extraction, and the Cantonese language is musical.

Playing slow also is a challenge. Speed slurs things together. Playing slow requires a lot of taste.

When I saw Tommy Emmanuel at the local Peekskill Paramount Theater by the third song I was fatigued. I could not keep up with him. My capacity to take it all in was full, and basically I was totally overwhelmed. By the end of the show I was exhausted.

I learned a lot from seeing that show.

With electric guitar there is a boundary where the signal gets overly processed for me. It kinda looses its taste. I don’t mind a bit of distortion, but at a certain point it just becomes noise and is no longer musical.

The real estate agent advised to price “Maggie’s” daughter house below a certain price point and follow a certain “threshold” to actually encourage a bidding war. Pretty much in Cortlandt which surrounds Peekskill and is the city’s suburbs has a housing shortage that is that bad. Pretty much they were told the house should sell within a week.

We have a gig in Hudson in a bookstore. A woman author will be bringing her other writer friends. This author has written 7 books. So now a new circle of writer friends.

Lately my biggest dream is to really just play guitar and get great at it. Pretty much I need a studio just to be alone undisturbed to be able to “woodshed.” Maggie is kinda disruptive, and of course I understand the repetition required can be maddening as well as annoying.

On one hand Maggie does not fully understand the idea of craft in other art forms other than writing. Whith biking and guitar there is a lot of training of muscle memory to make things fluid and automatic.

Cal
 
I post about Gold and Oil because history is being written.

The numbers are an alarm for inflation and stagflation. Oil can be an indicator of both a slowing economy or a recession. 4 out 5 recessions are caused by high energy prices.

Today a headline that the Ukrainians likely took out 10-15% of Russia’s refining capacity. Ouch.

Add onto that the Mid East situation.

I pretty much want to be happy. The profile for writer’s contains alcoholism. I don’t think writing is a happy pursuit. I saw what “Maggie” had to deal with. It was maddening.

Meanwhile I already hit a high point in my photography. I became a really good printer, and I did some interesting work.

I guess what I’m saying is I want a new challenge in my life. I want another accomplishment for my own personal growth. Playing out and being in the moment performing is likely the hardest thing to do.

Even if nothing happens with the guitar, I’m cool with that. It is just a personal challenge, and now the time is ripe for me. I reigned in much of my anxiety. Biking is a great physical way to relax, but playing guitar is another level because it is a balance of relaxation and concentration.

Back in my undergrad studies I met Ken McIntire a PhD in music and head of the Jazz program at my school. Physically he was an intimidating man. In his class he would yell at students if he had to repeat himself. He never yelled at me, but one day I went to his office and asked why he yelled so much and was so mean.

He asked me to sit down, and he gently and gingerly said that everyone wants to play an instrument, but basically they fool themselves and are wasting my time because they are not serious.

The example of Louis Armstrong was presented to me. Louis Armstrong took 2 years of his life to learn to be great to see if he had any talent. Ken was looking for students that were that serious.

At the time I thought I might want to become a musician, but I knew at that time I could not dedicate my life to just one thing. I ended up dropping out of the music program. Ken taught me not to fool myself, and when ready to go all in.

As much as I have a MFA in Creative Writing, I don’t feel I have the passion to go all in. I feel more like I could do the all in with the guitar. I’m cool if nothing happens. I just want to follow Ken’s wisdom.

BTW Ken’s idea of going all in and maxing out surely proved to be good advice in becoming a good printer. When I loaded up the truck to begin printing I bought $10K worth of ink and paper. It got mucho crazy, and the prints speak for themselves.

Now is the time to do it again on guitar…

Cal
 
I got the short message that retirement for me is about living my dreams.

How creative is that?

Not everybody has a retirement, meaning in my case enough money to enjoy freedom and pretty much being able to pursue my interests.

I thought I would have all this free time, but that has not happened yet. My days are occupied and busy. I thought I would be isolated, this is the northern burbs of NYC, but I am making lots of friends and I am getting widely known.

One thing though is I feel relaxed, another is I am the happiest I have ever been, and pretty much I’m able to make the best of each day and move forward even when taking care of the grandkids.

I also see building out a few more guitars. I have GAS for a bound three tone burst Tele body made of Alder. My 2 Cabronita’s are made of alder, but I have no Tele’s that are alder.

Then I have this three on a side Snakehead neck that needs a home, but I already have a full blown Snakehead Tele. I could just keep it as a spare neck. Not a bad idea…

I found a painted alder Les Paul Jr body that would accept that neck. Gibson shape, but otherwise Tele. Kinda odd and strange, but that is my style. Understand that I have a set of open 1960 Fender pickups that need to be rewound. I have a friend Bobby that rewinds pickups. Three bodies are available, but I like the white version that is distressed to look like vintage wear from use.

At this point the bound Tele would be a luxury, but the Les Paul Jr/Tele is recycling stuff I already have on hand. Hmmm…

This bound Tele guitar body displays only mild wear of a “Closet classic.” I love the idea that any real wear would be performed by my use. Something charming about that. Basically two different characters: one aged and worn; and the other old but discovered.

I only have one set of extra pickups, so I can only justify one guitar. Hmmm…

Cal
 
So Cal, if you want to take guitar playing seriously, I'll give you a tip: Its not about fun. It is about work, and lots of it. Every jazz guitarist worth listening too knows this. You can fiddle with pickups and necks and amps, but the skill to play jazz and improvise musically takes years of work. I'm not talking about playing pentatonic scales to typical I IV V blues, I'm talking about picking up a chart and doing a harmonic analysis to figure which scales you'll use for your improv, be it alone as a chord-melody or with a group to back you up and you to return the favor as each member solos. To know and master the neck, at least 5-7 string groups for 4 note chords (the currency of jazz), arpeggios and inversions, voicing, chords with extensions and alterations, the scales and modes and how you match all these to the melody....that my friend, is work. And music theory: What scale do select your tones and riffs from when that dominant chord precedes a minor chord? or a major chord? or another dominant chord? This stuff is not for the campfire guitarist. This is for those who want to really play jazz guitar. And when you think you know this stuff, the next goal is the hardest: To let go of thinking about how to do something, and let the feeling and desire of what you want to do go straight to your hands and fingers and strings, bypassing your brain. Repetition...oh you bet. Professional musicians - classical and jazz musicians - play a tune thousands of times to polish it and get to the point of feeling it, not thinking about how to do it. That's what it takes to perform. But if you just want to play a few chords and doodle around, many folks open YouTube and go from there, copying some else's tune or cover. If that's enough, and it is for some, then enjoy! But serious guitar...that's a full time job.
 
Ellison,

I believe this is where I want to go. Pretty much a Jazz nerd who lives in his own world.

The tune “Round Midnight” my friend Tim says is not an easy song. Likely the most recorded Jazz standard “Maggie” has heard many thousands of times. Certainly the heavy strings I utilize are not for rock or blues, especially because I play at pitch and not tuned down. Maybe/perhaps old school jump blues…

At this time I just have some strong fundamentals and a lot of weaknesses. I am studying theory and hope to eventually sight read. I need mucho time alone to get where I want to be. My ambition is to be a solo guitarist/performer.

I have instruments and amps that are better than me also, stuff I accumulated that would be at priced out points today.

Check out www.MirabellaGuitars.com. My friend Cris is building me an 18 inch “Trap-Door” guitar. It might be done later this year. The regular Trap-Door guitars are a mere 17 inch. The 18 inch sounds like a piano. I made a deal in 2004-2005 where I was kinda like a patron and gave Cris an opportunity to build me a “Blue Guitar.”

Scott Chinnery gave all the dominant builders of Jazz boxes a can of blue lacquer as a starting point and a blank slate to create the best from the best. My friend Cris was too young and not established as a builder back then to be part of this. Eventually these Blue Guitars were bought by the Smithsonian as a collection.

At a guitar show back in 2004-2005 I witnessed how Cris was being groomed by John Monteleone, the builder, and Larry Wexler, a big time guitar dealer. Cris was the chosen one to replace John Monteleone as “The Man.”

So I have a custom guitar incoming worth many tens of thousands of dollars.

The guitar know as Carmella was the first trap-door. Pretty much Chris built it as a prototype and a test to show me what he intended to build. This kinda jump started Cris to another level and made it certain he would become for sure the next “man.”

Over the now two decades the woods he is using got upgraded for my 18 inches. The flamed maple for the body now actually came from Jimmy D’Aquisto’s estate and was wood that Jimmy held in reserve. Old wood for sure and of course the best of the best.

Cris did not want to use “wings” as Jimmy did on some of his guitars to get the width on the backs. At first Cris acquired cello wood, but now “Jimmy wood.” The neck has been shaped and the box is in the mold. Pretty much final assembly awaits.

Cris calls the guitar “Jane” after Jane Mansfield because it is going to be a “big blonde” guitar, meaning a natural finish to show off the beauty of the woods.

My friend Dave says the longer I wait the better the guitar I will get. This was great advice. Understand that all my life I have put off things and waited. Now with retirement I can honor Ken McIntiire’s wisdom of going all in to see if I really have any talent.

I’m in a really great place to do what I want to do. I’m living the dream… but I am creating a heaven for me.

Cal
 
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At the end of the Cold War part of the retraining of displaced defense workers was this personality test that pretty much profiled you into career paths.

My highest score was a musician followed by artist and even as a priest/clergy.

My life has many-many disruptions, and in a way I suffered a different kind of homelessness and had a life that was unsettled.

Now with having a home and a retirement I can roost. It has taken me a while to figure out the true identity I wanted to create.

I escaped poverty, something that is not easy to do, and I know hard work and how to study. At this point in my life I’m both the teacher and the student. I now have the time to mature and develope.

Seems like I’m a natural performer, and I kinda have stage presence and stand out in a crowd. Never realized that I had the talent of being a front man. Seems innate.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
Richard Avedon had two assistants loading Rolliflexes to keep up with his shooting. Doing fast shooting with large format is kinda insane. LOL.


Devil Cal,
Crazy is still good. BTW Richard Avedon used the Sinar Norma 8x10 too. 🙂 I have forty or so Olde original Norma Auto lenses. Not so different from collecting and using beautiful guitars in a way. Good Light to You!
Click to expand...
 
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