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Two-Year Lurker From Alvin, TX

BentBierz

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2014
Messages
188
Location
Alvin, TX (Houston Metro Area)
Hello all,

I typically don't lurk so long after joining a forum before I introduce myself.

As an introduction, I am a retired active duty Coast Guard/Navy (29 years CG/4 years Navy) Chief Warrant Officer who is still working for the Coast Guard in a civilian capacity in Houston, TX. I retired in 2008 in D.C. to take a CG civilian job there. In 2012, I was offered a CG job in Houston (had been stationed in Houston from 1996-2000 while still active) and, with a CG active duty son and grandson here (two grandsons now), my wife was not going to let me turn it down. We moved here in January 2012 and bought a 4000 sq. ft. home in the suburbs. Within a year we wished we would have rented first to get the lay of the land instead of doing what we had always done on active duty...race around three counties with a realtor looking for a home in a subdivision.

After some starts and stops this year with buying and selling undeveloped acreage we ended up finding a down-sized home on 7.5 acres in Alvin, TX. About 5 of the acres is currently mowed and it truly looks like a park setting with Live Oaks, Water Oaks and Pecans (plus too damn many Chinese Tallows). The rest is thick woods/brush bordering the property. My wife and I never thought we would want to mow 5 acres of grass but it is so nice looking we will keep it the way it is at least for awhile until we figure out if it is going to be too much.

The property already had a 20 year old 30x50 steel building on it and this year we built another 37x41 steel building (thumbs up for Rhino in Denton, TX...excellent service from them) that will be a party barn in front facing the pool with the back being storage and a personal bicycle repair shop (love working on bikes and building wheels). I'll post pictures at a later date to show some of the things we are doing in the building and to ask some questions as we go about finishing the interior.

I look forward to continuing my garage education that I have received on this great forum already and, who knows, I may actually develop enough wisdom to some day pass some of it on. Thanks all!
 
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astrohip

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 7, 2015
Messages
339
Location
Brenham TX
Welcome back to the Houston area! Alvin is a pretty part of Texas. My wife stabled two horses there for many years (we're in Brenham now).

We have a nephew in the CG, currently in LA. First billet was St. Thomas!

Love to see your pics!
 
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BentBierz

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2014
Messages
188
Location
Alvin, TX (Houston Metro Area)
Welcome back to the Houston area! Alvin is a pretty part of Texas. My wife stabled two horses there for many years (we're in Brenham now).

We have a nephew in the CG, currently in LA. First billet was St. Thomas!

Love to see your pics!

Thanks for the welcome back! It is pretty here and we found property that has some very beautiful oaks and pecans on it...love it! That said, if not for having to make a living I would absolutely love living in Brenham...one of my favorite areas in Texas.

What is your nephews name...I'll keep an eye out for him if he passes through Texas. I spent a lot of time in St. Thomas and St. Croix when I was stationed in San Juan...fun places to be if you don't have to live there forever.
 

drivesitfar

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 23, 2013
Messages
36,042
Location
Pacific Northwest
BB: i'm sure you have plenty of WISDOM to share even if just life living wisdom. thanks for your service and not that Guardian (Kevin Costner's) movie is anything like the everyday life you lived, but i bet it wasn't a picnic so thanks again.

post up some pictures as you have time to here or start a thread. and might i add just posting a few good words on a members thread that maybe is writing some great stuff and not getting any replies helps a lot to let that member know that somebody is learning something or reading his or her posts.

cheers and how about a RE WELCOME!!
 
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astrohip

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 7, 2015
Messages
339
Location
Brenham TX
Thanks for the welcome back! It is pretty here and we found property that has some very beautiful oaks and pecans on it...love it! That said, if not for having to make a living I would absolutely love living in Brenham...one of my favorite areas in Texas.

What is your nephews name...I'll keep an eye out for him if he passes through Texas. I spent a lot of time in St. Thomas and St. Croix when I was stationed in San Juan...fun places to be if you don't have to live there forever.

PM sent. Thanks!
 
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BentBierz

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2014
Messages
188
Location
Alvin, TX (Houston Metro Area)
BB: i'm sure you have plenty of WISDOM to share even if just life living wisdom. thanks for your service and not that Guardian (Kevin Costner's) movie is anything like the everyday life you lived, but i bet it wasn't a picnic so thanks again.

post up some pictures as you have time to here or start a thread. and might i add just posting a few good words on a members thread that maybe is writing some great stuff and not getting any replies helps a lot to let that member know that somebody is learning something or reading his or her posts.

cheers and how about a RE WELCOME!!

Thanks for the kind comments. Yeah...never jumped out of a helicopter but was stationed at two SAR stations on the Oregon Coast (Brookings and Newport) so got more than my share of nasty winter rescues, vessel sinkings and fires, towing vessels back home across a breaking bar, pulling people out of the water, etc. Sometimes I would be amazed that I had such a cool job, other times I would ask myself how did I ever end up doing this crazy and sometimes heartbreaking stuff!

Although it is often my intent, I have never been very good at taking pictures as projects proceed and I always tend to regret it after the fact. At any rate, I will put up what pictures I have to give a flavor for what I am doing in my steel building.
 

drivesitfar

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 23, 2013
Messages
36,042
Location
Pacific Northwest
BB: great post and you'll do great here cause plenty of friendly and helpful members. i still forget to take before and during pictures and i need to buy a new cell phone cause i'm sure the reason why my pictures are fuzzy now is from handling during projects. i'm getting better and more careful about how i hold my phone so a new phone with better pictures will help.

even if you can post some of your current pictures please do and not only on this thread but get on maybe some of the other threads and post them up so you can get to know more of the members and more of us can enjoy your work.

speaking of good threads i like the woodworking 101 thread we just started and last night i started a Buffing 101 thread so the links are in my sig line if you might have something to offer or questions are great too.

cheers and thanks again for your service and i love watching the waves on the Oregon Coast especially in the storms, but wouldn't in my wildest dreams want to go out on the Pacific during those storms like you had to. WELL DONE!
 
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