August 2022 News

Welcome to the narrow slice of internet wherein I record some doings.

Music

My bandmates and I saw Rage Against the Machine Sunday night. I've wanted to see them forever and it was everything I ever hoped it would be. Here's a couple pics.

da boys

RAGE! Zack hurt his leg and was sitting the entire show. It's okay. We did all the jumping for him.

A little bit of the ol' F you I won't do what ya tell me

I missed moshing!

To be in their 50s, they've still freakin got it

Lake Hartwell Kayak Rental and Delivery

Would you believe it? Another record month, and this one by a landslide. Thank you thank you, hold your applause until the end please.

I'm always a little hesitant to discuss details of the trade. I prefer it remain mysterious and I make it all seem super easy. Also, the day will come when real competition arrives and it doesn't seem smart to give them a leg up on how to out maneuver us in this industry.

The fact is that competition WILL arrive, it's just a matter of when. And sharing my tips and tricks might indeed improve them. But this isn't necessarily bad for LHKRAD. I believe the lake is big enough for all of us. I also believe the service and prices we offer will be hard to beat. I also believe if a business or service requires monopoly to be worthwhile, then it's not a sustainable business. All that said, here's a bit of behind the scenes.

Improvements and upgrades this month include:

www.hartwellkayak.com

A new website!

My good friend Drew built it and I love it and am still adding to it and I want you to go look at it now. Now. NOW! We're doing a give-away on social media. Go follow us on IG or FB and share that post up top and comment and maybe you'll win $100 toward any rental package. 

The tandem hauler. 

This thing is a life saver. When I get to a location, I have zero expectations of guests helping me haul yaks (but I will not put up a fight if they insist). They paid me. They're on vacation. I'm on the clock. I'll do the work. But there are only so many rocky mountainous terrains I can haul a 70 lb kayak up in 90 degree weather before developing resentment, no matter how many pushups, pullups, and squats I bang out. I know that resentment is the endgame of any and every job but it must be forestalled!

Two life jacket racks (not pictured). Not one, but TWO. Crazy, I know. It's not high-engineering but every little convenience helps.

The double decker truck rack. 

Some of my deliveries take me places that are not at all trailer-friendly, usually because of steep inclines on skinny driveways flanked with decorative stone and no space to turn around. That's not a problem if I can just pop the trailer off, turn it and the truck around, then reconnect. It's not heavy when it's empty. But it's not always empty. And in the spirit of preserving my ancient decrepit bod and preserving myself so as to continue this as long as possible, I can't be manhandling a fully-loaded trailer in the dark and hoping it doesn't slip away from me and careen merrily into a guest's car or their AirBnB or their tent. That would negatively affect our bottom line.

I double-decked the truck and sideline the trailer unless absolutely necessary. 

Things to do before cold season:

Get my hands on some canoes and fishing kayaks. We've had inquiries for both, particularly in colder months.

Things to do beyond that:

Branch out and conquer other lakes. 

Fully eliminate the expense of gas by acquiring an electric vehicle.

Writing

My second novel, codenamed V&V, is first of a two-book series. It's in late stages of developmental edits. I'd love it to be on the market in 2022 and from where I'm sitting, there's no reason it shouldn't be (which is a perfect thing to announce if you want to curse the whole endeavor). 

I'm 2,000 words into the outline of the sequel. I could be further into the actual writing of it but there's a lot fighting for my attention at the moment and I admit I've neglected it. How long will it take me to turn this outline into a novel of comparative size to book 1? A billion years if experience is any indicator.

I mentioned last month that I amn't loving the title anymore. I hate coming up with titles. I suck at it. If I could outsource that, I would. My beta readers offer the most useful feedback on title ideas, them being among the very few who've read the story already and know where it's going. If only they'd just name it for me. 

Next month

I hope to update you on book stuff! 

see you then

dtl